NEW Video // 1# Empties!

Hey Everyone,

I have another video for you today! I have been keeping this bag of empty bottles and packaging so I could film my first empties video! Yay! 

Now, I love watching other people do these sorts of videos, so I wanted to get in on the fun! When I filmed this it appeared that something at leaked into the bag so the products were all nice and oily (lovely!) I still have no idea where it came from :/ 

Anyway...I hope you enjoy this video! 

I hope you've been enjoying my videos recently and I hope you have a lovely day!

x

Product testing on holiday!

Hey Everyone,

So, I am currently wrapped up in bed as I am not feeling 100% :( I am so anxious and worried at the moment, I have literally made myself ill! (which sucks!) But anyway, I know I was meant to post yesterday - but I really wasn't feeling up to writing anything. But as I sit here this morning, I thought - yes, today I shall write a post. 

So, here it is...

From the left: Nude Advanced Renewal Serum, Eve Lom Flawless Radiance Primer and Radiance Lift Foundation,  L'Occitane Radiance and Colour Care Shampoo and Conditioner, Eldora Lashes in H106, Nivea In-Shower refreshing after sun lotion.

When you are on holiday, it is both practical and fun to take sample sizes of products you may not have tried. It is a great opportunity to try something new; if you don't like it you can leave it there and never have to see it again! 

Here are few products I took with me on my recent trip to Italy (Click here to see) and my thoughts...

Nude Advanced Renewal Serum - I love Nude Skincare! Everything I have tried from the range I have loved. I have to say I think this one may be my favourite. This is a super light-weight serum and instantly absorbs into the skin. I loved using it before my La Roche Posay Effaclar Duo (+) as it helped it to sink in faster. There is also an instant cooling effect (which is great for a warm climate) and it kept my skin nice and hydrated.

Purchase full size? Definitely, when I get a job! :P

Eve Lom Flawless Radiance Primer and Radiance Lift Foundation - When I found out that the famous skincare brand - Eve Lom - was creating a make up line I got very excited. Now, I'll be honest, the primer I only used about twice (I forgot I'd packed it!). I didn't hate it and I didn't love it. It was a nice primer, don't get me wrong, but I don't think it's worth the price tag. 

The foundation on the other hand - was lovely! For my skin type, it wouldn't be appropriate for everyday wear as it can leave me looking quite shiny. But as a holiday luxe product, it was lovely and gave me that holiday glowing skin with some added coverage :P

 

Purchase full size? Not the primer, the foundation I would maybe consider a holiday treat :P

L'Occitane Radiance and Colour Care Shampoo and Conditioner - I'll start of by saying that these are the best sample sized haircare set I've ever used! Especially for us long haired gals! I was able to get my hands on them in a recent set, which was £10 with a purchase of £30 (See L'Occitane post here).  And the formula is lovely! I really enjoyed the smell of these, the shampoo lathered really nicely. They made my hair nice and shiny. Really enjoyed using them!

Purchase full size? Definitely!

Eldora Lashes in H106 - I recently mentioned these in my August Favourites Video. They made me fall back in love with false lashes. They are so light and soft (made from real hair); I forgot I was wearing them most of the time. This pair in particular are very wispy and long. They feel very flirty lashes, as they thickener out at the outer edge, which compliments winged linger perfectly! 

Purchase full size? Yes - absolutely!

Nivea In-Shower refreshing after sun lotion - I do apologise in advance; as I am about to end on a negative review. Sorry :( Now, it's not that I don't like the whole in-shower body moisturiser thing (I do - mentioned in recent favourites). It was the whole after sun aspect. When I come back from a day out in the sun, I have always enjoyed that instant cooling sensation when you apply after sun. It feels really calming to the skin and helps calm any redness/burns. I didn't get this feeling when I used it in the shower! It wasn't the experience I look for when using after sun. I think I'll stick to traditional after suns from now on.

Purchase again? Nope.

So, I hope you enjoyed my little mini review of some products. I really enjoyed trying them on my holiday! What were some of your holiday favourites?

I hope you enjoyed this post and have a lovely day!

x 

Favourites Time! // August 2014

Hey Everyone,

I hope you all had an amazing August! I can't believe this month has gone sooooo quickly! I've had a month of ups and downs, but overall it's been pretty good!

Last months favourite was a huge one! (Click here if you haven't seen it) and this month I haven't really been using anything new! When I finally went through the products I decided I would make a video :) Would be a shame not to! ;)

I hope you enjoyed this post and have a lovely day!
x

NEW Video // Holiday Mini Series

Hey Everyone,

I hope you have all had a good week! I am currently in Italy :D (properly lying on a sun lounger!) So, that means I may not be answering tweets and messages as quickly as usual. 

Never fear though - I have scheduled some posts for you while I am away, including this little mini series! 

There will be three videos in this mini series: 1) Skincare and Haircare (which is this one!), 2) Make up packing, and 3) Holiday Look book. Now, the last one won't be going up until I get back, but the other two are ready to go! 

So - without further adieu, here is the first instalment!

What Skincare and Haircare did I pack?

 

I hope you enjoyed this post and have a lovely day!

x

Favourites Time! // July 2014

Hey Everyone,

I hope you all had fantastic months in July - I know I did! I have a mammoth of a favourites video for you, and I am using my new camera (everyone shouts "Hooray!"). It actually came out pretty well, it definitely feels more professional - except my camera stand of books!

Stick with me on this one and you may find some gems in there too!

I hope you enjoyed the video and have a lovely day!

x

NEW Video // Wavy hair and Purple makeup tutorial

Hey Everyone,

I hope you are all well! I know my scheduling has been all over the place! :/ I swear I take on too much - so unfortunately my blogging and videos have to be put on the back-burner atm! :( 

On a side note, Cheekysmiles101 is also going through some serious re-styling plans which I am soooo excited about! So look out for the new changes - they are going to be awesome! 

So, here is my new video! :D I hope you enjoy it and have fun playing with colour!

I hope you enjoyed this post and are having a lovely day!

x

My first YouTube Video - January Favourites!

Hey Everyone,

I'll save you all my excuses for my absence; but I've been super busy and struggling with motivation to do anything (let alone blogging!) But I've finally sorted my January Favourites, and it's a little different this time as I have uploaded a video! I must warn you - I was very nervous and my editing skills are not up to scratch…yet! 

That aside, I hope you enjoy watching the video - I'd love to get some feedback on what you thought (please be nice!) and what you would like to see in future videos.

I hope you are having a lovely day!

Emma

x

October Favourites!

Hey Everyone,

So, I am sorry this is late! I totally forgot to do this post! Bad blogger!
Every month I shall try to do a monthly favourites post - but I shall warn you; as I'm a poor student don't be surprised if I repeat products that I have already mentioned in other posts!
To save these posts from being too long, I'm only going to mention 5 favourites. They will be from the following categories:-
1) Make up 2) Skincare 3) Hair care 4) Random 5) An extra item from one of the 4 categories!

Let's jump into it!

1) Make Up - NARS Ita brush #21

Okay, so you might not call this a make up item - but it is a make up accessory...so I say it counts!
I've been watching beauty gurus such as Shaaanxo and Claire Marshall use this brush for so long now. I really really wanted to try it; but it's a pricey brush! So I turned to eBay - and there it was for £10.99! Honestly, it looks real and feels real - but even if it's not, I don't care it does the job! I love this brush and if you can afford to buy it from NARS than go for it! Highly recommend this brush for a sharp, clean contour!

2) Skincare - Vaseline Spray & Go body moisturizer in cocoa radiant

Now, I mentioned this in my Beauty Blogger Tag...I am useless when it comes to body moisturizer. I just hate the whole process of having to rub it in for 10 minutes and having to let it dry! So I never did it - until now!
This stuff is amazing; it smells like the regular formula moisturizer and it literally drys in seconds! It leaves my skin feeling soft and smelling great.

3) Hair care - Paul Mitchell Extra-body Sculpting Foam

Again, I have talked about this in more depth in my After Shower Hair Products post. So I won't say too much about it, only that it is awesome and that you need to try it!

On a side note - don't expect much variation in this category; as I rarely change what I use in my hair. This is just because I'm quite happy with what I use at the moment :)

4) Random Favourite - IKEA's Tindra scented candle in Tropical Fruit

Normally, this time of year, I love a warmer scented candle or a cake-inspired scent. So, I was pleasantly surprised when I started loving this fragrance - the orange colour was just perfect coming up to Halloween. Though the scent is not strong with this candle - I still love burning it for a hint of sweetness in my room.

5) Extra Make up - Stila stay all day waterproof liquid eye liner in Intense Black

This had to be mentioned; as I've been using this almost everyday this month and I LOVE IT! I have tried a lot of liquid liners and this is my fave so far! To see a more in depth review please refer to my first blog.

I hope you enjoyed this monthly favourites, sorry again that it was late. I will be staying on top of it for November!

I hope you have a lovely day!

Emma
x

After shower Hair Products!

Hey Everyone,

Today's post is all about Hair Products! So, after doing my What's in my shower post, it only seems fitting we continue onto hair products! And similarly to that post, I honestly don't use that many products in my hair *whispers* It's because I'm lazy! *whispers*

Immediately after showering - I brush my hair, my hair gets soooooo tangled its unreal. I didn't take a picture of my brush; as it is your standard paddle brush but I'll link mine here.
Then I move onto volumizing and heat protection. I blow-dry my hair pretty much every other day (with the occasionally day I let it air-dry when I'm using rollers etc.) So these products to me are essential!
Firstly, I use my Paul Mitchel Extra-Body Sculpting Foam - I LOVE this stuff! I've been using it since I was 13 years old, I purchased it after I had my first lot of layers put into my hair! I never looked back!
I rate products when I really miss them when they aren't in my routine. This is one of those products. I really notice the difference with the body of my hair when I don't use it!
This next product is new addition to my routine; when my Argon Oil Cream ran out in late September - I really needed new heat protection and something that would give my hair some extra shine. A year ago I was using the famous Moroccan oil (which I really loved!) but it is just sooo expensive! I really couldn't afford it at the time so I had to go with something from boots. I decided to try L'Oreal Elvive Extraordinary Oil - they have a few different formulas - I picked the one for coloured hair. Now, this is a thin oil, not like Moroccan oil; which is a lot thicker. You can use before showering, before blow-drying and after styling. So many uses! I use it before blow-drying, which gives me some protection and some added glossy-ness.

After blow-drying, I usually stick my hair in a bun and let it form some natural looking waves or I use my curling tongs (if I'm feeling bothered :P) But I always use Hair Spray - no matter what the style! This one is another old-faithful for me; which I have been using since I was 13! It is the Bed Head Hard Hold Hairspray. This stuff is truly awesome and it gives great hold to any style, while being still a bit flexible! Highly recommend.
The last product I'm going to mention is something I use on my more lazy days...Batiste Dry Shampoo, big & bouncy XXL volume. As you can tell, I like volume in my hair as it is naturally very straight and quite flat! So I give my hair as much as it can get! I only use this if I haven't had chance to shower or my hair looks like it needs a pick me up. It really works and I love the smell!

I hope you enjoyed this post and are having a lovely day!

Emma
x

What I use in the shower

Hey Everyone,

So, you've seen my everyday make up routine, now lets see what I use in the shower. 

Obviously, you shouldn't wash your hair everyday, but when I exercise a lot I have to shower (cause I smell, and no one would talk to me!) So, there is my shower and all the products I use. Contrasting to my make up routine, I don't use that many products in the shower. This is because I'm kinda lazy in the shower, and just want to get in and out (cause it's cold in my house!)

I'm currently using the L'Oreal Paris hair expertise Ever Pure Shampoo Colour Care and Ever Riche Conditioner. Now, I know they aren't from the same range, but they contain no sulphates (so shouldn't mess with my coloured hair). My hair feels nourished, smooth and happy when using these two products. Also, the Ever Riche conditioner smells really good! Like honey!
Then, below, you can see the body wash I've been using - Dove go fresh Nourishing Body Wash burst in Nectarine and white ginger scent. This is one of my favourite smelling body washes I've ever used and it lathers up so easily! The smell is just divine and it really wakes you up. My skin feels super soft and smells amazing after use.
Also, in that picture is my razor and I use the Gillette Venus and Olay Razor heads which are awesome. You don't have to use a shaving cream with these as the bars on the razor give that smooth, silky skin feeling. No fuss is what I like when it comes to shaving my legs!

I hope you've enjoyed this insight into my shower and I hope you have a lovely day!

Emma
x